


Sweater Weather

by SgtPepper007



Series: EXO Oneshots [12]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hot Weather, M/M, Mental Anguish, Psychological, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 10:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20256577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtPepper007/pseuds/SgtPepper007
Summary: Jongin has been feeling distressed lately and Jongdae believes that a trip to their hometown back in California is the cure for his sorrow. Jongin thinks otherwise, but just when the whole world seems to be against him, he meets someone that shows him that maybe his trip would give him more than he could imagine.





	Sweater Weather

**Author's Note:**

> This is a song AU!, based on ['Sweater Weather'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCdwKhTtNNw) by The Neighbourhood that was randomly assigned to me in a challenge.  
I kind of twisted the real meaning of the song, which is quite evidently on the romantic/sexual side. I didn't want to write anything with romance, although it kind of implies it, and I got inspired mainly by the general vibe of the band and their discography. I interpreted the “cold” evoked in the song as in Jongin having some coldness in him, clashing with its opposite, the “warmth” that California has and that makes Jongin dizzy in all kinds of ways. But just like the song references, and how I interpreted it for my oneshot, it's way too cold in Jongin's heart, but Baekhyun's different kind of warmth changes the tides.

_ “All I am is a man _

_ I want the world in my hands _

_ I hate the beach  _

_ But I stand in California with my toes in the sand _

_ Use the sleeves of my sweater _

_ Let’s have an adventure _

_ Head in the clouds but my gravity’s centered _

_ Touch my neck and I’ll touch yours _

_ You in those little high wais--” _

Jongin turned the button of the radio, screeching sounds invading the car as the radio signals of the station were abruptly interrupted. Jongin wasn’t in the mood at all to listen to those ordinary radio hits, all about how wonderful love was, how happy the artists were or how the girl next door had a nice ass, shooting some lame  ‘ baby ’ here and there to fill some instrumental parts and mask their lack of vocabulary, or putting some random syllables that would fit and that the listeners could easily sing, melodies that annoyingly keep playing in your head all day long and makes you want to rip your hair out, no matter if you like them or not. Those were the only kinds of songs that seemed to be playing on the various stations he explored each time the signals worked, making resonate songs that were too bubbly to match his current mood.

“Hey, Jongin! Can you settle down on a radio station or not? You’re making me dizzy.”

Jongin couldn’t care less as he kept playing with the button of Jongdae’s car radio, sitting right next to him in the passenger seat, the roof open and making the scorching hot weather mercilessly strike them. His sunglasses were doing a poor job as the rays of sunshine were hitting the shiny car, almost blinding Jongin when he turned his head a certain angle, every slight movement being  dangerous for his retinas. When they captured a clear signal, Jongdae quickly removed Jongin’s hand from the button, the dramatic sound of a symphony playing loudly, replacing the constant screeching sounds and random songs that never stayed audible for more than a second. He gave a few side glances to Jongin, the latter understanding that his friend was seriously annoyed. He refrained from touching the button again.

His sweat glands were very active, the sleeves of his t-shirt rolled up his shoulders, every single pore wet and trails of sweat uncomfortably sliding down his skin. Some of his hair that wasn’t blown by the wind stuck to his forehead, seemingly having taken the resolution to stay there and to test his patience. Jongin couldn’t bear hot and sunny weather, especially when the sky was as clear as that day, no signs of clouds in the horizon. He wondered why he even accepted going on this weekend trip to Santa Barbara in California with Jongdae. 

The worst was when they had entered the city, now hitting red lights with no wind easing the extreme heat, the other cars’ heat coming from their motors not helping one bit. He grabbed the water bottle next to him and took a huge gulp of it, emptying its content in one swift movement. Somehow, the symphony playing on the radio only increased his level of stress, the aggressive strings section being overly energetic, the tension of the piece clearly reaching its peak.

“Dae, could we at least pull the roof down? My whole body is melting,” Jongin asked while trying to fan himself, no actual result coming from his movements.

Jongdae grinned and let his elbow rest over the door, window rolled down, his hand expertly holding the steering wheel while the other was also guiding it, holding the gear when needed. “Why keep the roof down when the weather is so nice? Isn’t today wonderful? It’s hot, sunny, girls are walking around in tiny shorts, the streets are lively, there are some food and drink trucks all around the beach. What else could we ask for?”

“Some shade, at least? Or maybe, just maybe, I don’t know, just an idea like that, a little bit of wind?”

“Oh, come on!” Jongdae exclaimed while pointing at the beach a couple of meters away from them, the sunshine reflecting on the water and assaulting Jongin’s eyes, making him squint them to appease the blow, “The sun is perfect!”

“Yeah, right. It’s only burning our skin and lessening my chances of keeping my lifetime clear of wearing glasses. I care about my eyesight.”

Jongdae suddenly changed the course of his car, driving away and parking on the right, close to a fast food restaurant. He stopped the engine, the music dying along with the convertible’s roars. Jongin attempted to move towards his friend’s direction, but his movements ended up almost burning his skin since the seat had been directly exposed to the sun for far too long.

“Jongin, I have no idea what stick you’ve got up your ass right now, but you’re seriously intolerable,” Jongdae said, clearly annoyed. Jongin locked eyes with him, expressionless. Jongdae continued, “What’s going on with you? You’ve been edgy for entire weeks now. I thought that you wanted a change of air and that this trip could be healing or something? I suggested we go to our hometown while thinking about you, yet you’ve only been complaining since the moment you step foot in my car.”

Jongin averted his gaze, recalling everything he had said so far and realising that he truly had acted like a dick the whole time. He was especially out character that day, for a reason he couldn’t put his finger on. He sighed, guilt slowly taking over while he was truly wondering how he had become so moody and unfriendly.

“I’m worried about you, man. What’s going on? You’ve been acting strange for a while. Is there something you would like to talk about? I’m all ears, you know?”

Jongin’s gaze met Jongdae’s again, concern all over the latter’s features. Jongin combed his wet hair back and sighed, “I’m sorry, Dae. I don’t know, I’m just- I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more cooperative.”

Jongdae didn’t seem convinced and put a hand on his shoulder for a moment, squeezing it gently, “Just try to have some fun, alright? Look, we’re in Santa Barbara, California; just the two of us, in our hometown and we’re going to forget all about what’s happening in Henderson. Let’s just make the best out of this weekend, okay?”

Jongin nodded before they took off, Jongdae insisting on keeping their eye contact for a while until Jongin managed to crack a small smile, hoping for his friend to not be too affected by his mood. It only took a few minutes for the childhood friends to arrive at the small apartment they rented for the weekend, Jongin trying to convince himself that he would be fine and that Jongdae was right. He pushed his worries and useless thoughts to the back of his mind and braced himself for the rest of the day. Since they arrived in the early afternoon without much food in their stomach, their first stop was the local restaurant by the beach, one they used to be regulars at when they were high school student and that was only a couple of minutes away from the apartment. They ordered the dishes they would usually eat a few years ago, the menu not having changed one bit, and chatted for a bit with the servers that instantly recognised them, beaming at their unexpected visit. 

They spent the rest of the day outside, to Jongin’s dismay, but he made some efforts to not complain too much. Nevertheless, he focused on trying to match Jongdae’s cheerful mood, going for a swim at the beach and cooling themselves down a little bit in the water. No matter how much Jongin didn’t miss the beach, he rejoiced the feeling of the salty water against his skin; sometimes caressing him, other times splashing mercilessly when strong waves were hitting the shore, leaving the surfers delighted at how great some waves were. Jongdae swam with him the whole time, playing around in the water and easing Jongin’s mind for a while, although he couldn’t fully enjoy himself at how crowded the beach was. He liked isolated places the best, one of the reasons why he had never truly felt at home in Santa Barbara. Henderson was as hot and crowded as well, but the feeling was different. At least he could spend all day in university with the AC on or in his modest home. He barely went out or met other people in his free time aside from his few friends. They then met with a couple of their friends from high school at a bar later in the evening, catching up with the people who they used to share their daily lives with and witnessing how much they had changed ever since. The duo had only been attending university out of town for three years, but it felt as if it were ten.

Jongin ended up with his head spinning and a headache, not being able to keep up with his former friends’ lively conversations and having lost his ability to socialize; only focusing on the heat slowly killing his brain cells and melting his body as well as the music that was way too loud, the sound of the bass vibrating through his body from head to toe. They had spent the whole day outside under the sun and Jongin was utterly exhausted. It didn’t help that the car ride took hours and drained him. He didn’t do much during the day, aside from walking and swimming a little bit, but he felt as if he had spent the entire week working outside, his body completely sore and his mind having lost the ability to properly think and concentrate. And it was useless to say that aside from his body feeling weakened by the weather, he felt out of place in the popular bar, filled with people he had lost touch with and that forced him to pretend he was comfortable talking with them as if years hadn’t passed by and that he wasn’t dying to leave the place as soon as possible. But Jongdae seemed to have a lot of fun and he had already messed up when they were driving; he didn’t want to ruin his night as well. Fortunately, Jongdae seemed to have caught up with Jongin’s poor state and didn’t linger for too long with the group when the clock hit an hour past midnight.

The next day, Jongin woke up in a better mood since he had managed to catch up on some much needed sleep, thanking the heavens that they had an air-conditioner and that the mattress was very comfortable. His body still felt like a puddle because of the previous day, but with a glass of water in his system, he was good to go. They met their parents in a cozy breakfast restaurant, the two families who had always been close spending a couple of hours together, talking about various things and enjoying some pancakes and coffee. It was actually the first time Jongin had stepped foot in California ever since he had moved cities three years prior. His parents were always the ones to visit him and he wasn’t too keen either on going back to Santa Barbara. 

However, when they bid their goodbyes to their families, Jongin’s dreadful thoughts hit him again when the duo walked around their favourite roads and hangout places from when they were younger. A strong wave of nostalgia knocked him. The city hadn’t changed at all; the parks were the same, the busy roads were as crowded, the stores had the same names and the same signs and the restaurants were as colourful as they used to be. It had the same old atmosphere. Nothing had changed in the city and it made Jongin’s stomach churn involuntarily. While everyone he had met and every place he went to weren’t any different, he felt like a stain in all of it. Even Jongdae, who had matured a lot over the past years and changed in a lot of ways, still had the spark he used to have a couple of years back. He had always been cheerful and caring, outgoing and adventurous, never turning a challenge down and always striving for the unknown, diving into uncertainties with his head held up high and a confident smile on his face. Jongdae was different, but more like an extension of who he used to be, like an upgraded version of himself. Moreover, he was blossoming at the speed of light ever since he had started studying bioecology. He was following his passion and his happiness truly showed.

On the other hand, Jongin was the polar opposite. He was doing his bachelor in literature and had no idea what he wanted to do with it in the future. He was introverted, confident but still flawed. He liked to explore the unknown, but was more drawn to his comfort zone. But most importantly, he had lost his initial spark. He wasn’t totally sure why or how it happened, but his attraction to positivity was progressively deserting him, being left empty of any real motivation or desire for anything. While he used to be as lively as the city, he felt like he was barely a shadow of it now, only the remnants of his past self being hung on his parents’ walls, framed or stocked in a few photo books, memories still alive and piercing his heart as a reminder that he wasn’t the person he used to be. Unlike Jongdae, he was withering instead of blooming.

While he was truly set on keeping his passable good mood from the morning, his resolution dropped as soon as their families met. Not only he was feeling even more out of place than the previous evening, being in his peers’ company being more hurtful than his past classmates, but he was also feeling like he was an awful person. Jongdae was liked by everyone, no wonder why, yet he felt like he was nowhere close to anything Jongdae could achieve or even be. Maybe living far away from his parents for too long had impacted him in some way, or maybe he just couldn’t find his source of happiness, his only refreshing moments being when he was lost into a book or when he would stare at the night sky, feeling as lonely as ever, yet warm. But Santa Barbara wasn’t giving anything of it to him and it made him feel awful during the whole day. No matter how much he knew the city like the back of his hand, he had never felt as much like a stranger. 

The worst part was the evening; Jongdae had been invited to one of their former friends’ party. And of course; Jongin was dragged to it along with Jongdae. The party was taking place in a huge house by the beach. The night was warm and especially humid, which made Jongin even more uncomfortable. His clothes were sticking to his skin that was almost dripping with sweat. He silently cursed the weather the whole day. The house was unbearable; its heat, created by both the amount of people squeezed inside of it mixed with the energetic dancers and lack of fresh air, was suffocating. Jongin had managed to stay by his friend’s side for a while, but quickly felt like his insides were turned upside down and hurriedly left for the beach. At least the sea was bringing a faint breeze with it. 

Jongin breathed deeply and sat down on the sand, a few meters away from the shore, finding a spot void of any people, but not too far from the others partying outside. He settled there, alone, with a beer in hands and some fresh air. At least it was better than the beach house.

He stared at the water for a while before stealing a few glances at the bonfire, the sound of an acoustic guitar penetrating his ears as well as some men and women’s voices laced together in unison, singing a few hit songs he wasn’t particularly fond of. But he wouldn’t complain; it was way better than what was blaring from the house and much calmer. He was plunged into the soft music, adorned with a couple of giggles and chuckles, and the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. It was calming in some way, although he felt lonely in the worst way. Being surrounded by people was always worse than being alone, because there was nothing lonelier than feeling alone while being surrounded.

The sound of footsteps in his direction pulled him out of his trail of thoughts, a presence settling down at his side, only a couple of inches away from him.

“Hi!”

Jongin turned his head around and was met with an unfamiliar face. He scrunched his nose and directed his attention back to the shore while sipping his beer, ignoring the other man who had decided to keep him company without his consent. He wasn’t up for some meaningless chit chat. The other man chuckled, the sound being way too cheerful to match his state of mind.

“I haven’t seen you around town before. Are you visiting with Jongdae?”

Hearing his childhood friend’s name picked his interest, making Jongin turn his head around again. He observed the stranger more closely; he had short blond hair, his relatively long black roots peeking their way out, a small face and skinny frame, yet in shape. He was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, feet bare and some grains of sand sticking to his toes. His smile was wide and oddly resembled a box while staring into his eyes. “You know Jongdae?” Jongin asked, wondering how come the two knew each other.

The stranger chuckled, “Not really. I just met him at the party. A friend of mine is his friend. You don’t remember me? We’ve been introduced to each other when you guys entered the house.”

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows, not recalling seeing his face at all. He was introduced to a couple of people, but he wasn’t paying much attention, more focused on breathing evenly before he would faint from the heat. “Ah, sorry. I guess I was distracted,” he said blankly before directing his attention back to the bottle of alcohol in his hands and the waves singing their sweet melody into his ears.

“You don’t seem to be much of a talkative person. But I don’t mind, it’s great here; tranquility, the sea.”

“If you want to have more interesting conversations, just go over to the people by the bonfire or something,” Jongin said hastily, wanting to get rid of the unwanted presence beside him.

The stranger smiled, “But I am enjoying the conversation we are having right now.”

Jongin scoffed, truly amused by his statement. They silently sat next to each other for the following minutes, the other man opening his can of beer and Jongin drinking from his own bottle. They didn’t exchange a single word for a while, the initial unwanted presence by Jongin’s side strangely not irking him as the minutes passed by. It was comfortable, considering the fact that neither of them talked or that they didn’t know each other, which was quite unusual for Jongin. He had always been the awkward type. 

Jongin found himself being a little bit at peace, the stranger somehow emanating some sort of vibe and energy that was soothing. The tension he initially had was slowly leaving his body, letting the surrounding sounds and the stranger’s breathing next to him lull him into a state of calmness. Relatively.

“Why did you come talk to me?” Jongin asked out of the blue, less uptight than earlier and curious.

“Because you looked liked you needed some company.”

“I think you are the one who needs it,” he retorted back without thinking twice.

“Busted,” the stranger said, a smirk evident in his voice.

They silently drank again for a moment, Jongin’s frown now entirely dissipated.

“My name is Baekhyun, by the way.”

“Jongin.”

“Nice to meet you, Jongin!”

“Yeah, I’ll decide whether it’s the case for me later or not.”

Baekhyun laughed loudly, the sound managing to crack Jongin’s cold and lonely heart for a moment, making his lips curve even just the slightest. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way, but he decided not to fight it, too tired of this routine of his.

“You still left my first questions unanswered,” Baekhyun asked after drinking from his can of beer.

Jongin glanced at the stranger now known as Baekhyun, who was looking at him with a soft smile on his lips. “Jongdae and I are childhood friends. We moved to Nevada three years ago and are spending the weekend here for ‘healing’ purposes, apparently.”

“Apparently?”

Jongin sighed, “Yeah. Let me tell you that it’s a flop so far.”

“Is that so?”

Jongin hummed in response and fiddled with the bottle in his hands, strangely wanting to spill everything that had been staining his heart. It might have been the alcohol or his exhaustion reaching its limits. He was usually a good drinker, but it was his third bottle of beer that night and his current weakened state, both physically and mentally, wasn’t helping him to keep up with the rush of alcohol running in his veins. He stared at the sea again, the gentle breeze brushing his hair and increasing his sour feelings. After opening his mouth a few times, no words coming out at each and every attempt, he took another sip of beer instead. His countless thoughts rushed back to him again, this time making him feel melancholic. Baekhyun didn’t insist on him speaking his mind out. 

“I usually go out of town when I feel the need to. Traveling is fun, going to unfamiliar places soothes me and makes me feel small, almost insignificant. It is calming and it puts us in our right place when we think we are too important. Seeing how wide the world is is revitalising.”

Jongin was reminded of Jongdae at that moment, seeing a resemblance between the two at Baekhyun’s response. “That’s right. But no matter where we go, we are still who we are. You are still Baekhyun, and I am still Kim Jongin, the same men with the same flaws. A different city name won’t change who we are, no matter how far we travel.” 

“You’re right. But a change of scenery is always nice. At least we can forget for a moment, no matter how short or long it can last. As long as it does have an effect.”

“I don’t know, Santa Barbara isn’t the best scenery for me right now anyway.”

“Not a fan of California?”

“I fucking hate the scorching hot weather.”

Baekhyun’s warm laugh echoed again, its sound being one Jongin found himself liking a bit too quickly.

“You’re interesting.”

Jongin scoffed, finding the other man’s statement funny, “Right.” 

Silence engulfed the two men once again, sitting on the sand under the moon’s light shining brightly with the clear sky. Jongin was already feeling a little bit better in Baekhyun’s company. He was easy to talk to and not pushy, unlike what he had thought. They ended up talking a little bit more about the topic, Jongin hesitating at first, unused to reveal such personal information and his concealed thoughts without properly knowing the other person. It wasn’t the kind of thing he liked to share with just anyone. Regardless of that, he succumbed to the temptation, feeling somewhat emotional that day and the other man oozing those strange vibes that made him give in. Baekhyun turned out being a very wise and optimistic person. He brought some interesting thoughts and arguments, even some psychological aspects Jongin hadn’t fully explored before, turning into a debate at a certain point. Jongin felt great. Sweat was still making their way out of his pores, painfully so, but the air was comfortable around him and Baekhyun’s voice and presence was as calming as the sound of the waves crashing not too far from them, eclipsing the noise of the people around who were partying. He felt like they had their own little bubble, sheltered from the rest of the world.

“You know, the world is wide. We are often close minded without us even being aware of it. Open your eyes, look around you and find the things you like in it in spite of what you hate being there as well. Easy. Just step out of the box around you. There are doors and openings you turn a blind eye upon.”

“And how am I supposed to achieve that?”

“Only you have the answer.”

Jongin gazed at Baekhyun, the latter staring at the sea and smiling widely, expression serene. Jongin was in awe at the other man; he seemed to be so detached and at ease. It was truly a beautiful sight. He felt envious for a moment, envious of not being able to be like the stranger he had just met, but pushed those feelings away as he gained strength from him instead. Baekhyun turned around and winked smugly, catching Jongin off guard who gazed at the sea instead, making the other man chuckle. His laugh was contagious and Jongin found himself chuckling as well, liking the warm feeling that was spreading through him. It had been a while since he had felt that way. He felt like the straps strangling him were loosening their hold on him, breathing was easier and his mind was clearer.

“So, what are your hobbies, Jongin?”

They spent the next few hours side by side, talking about everything and anything, debating over the most stupid things while going into deeper subjects as well. Jongin didn’t know how it happened, but the two men ended up laying on the sand, bodies against the other, arms brushing and human heat replacing the one in the air and not minding the sand sneaking into their clothes and hair. Baekhyun pointed at a few stars in the sky, the only ones that were visible, and revealed that he wanted to become an astronomer in the future, sharing his love for the universe; space and all its wonders. It explained his earlier words about the vast world and its possibilities. Jongin found himself fascinated by Baekhyun, wanting to hear his voice more and get to know more things about him. He learned that Baekhyun had moved to Santa Barbara only a year ago, that he was two years younger than him and that they shared a few common interests, like a couple of artists or hiking, some series and books, although they had lots of differences too. It was still refreshing to talk with Baekhyun. He had a contagious energy and vibrant colours in his personality. Jongin even managed to convince him that he should try mountain climbing one of these days, despite Baekhyun’s fears of heights. The evening was pleasant, very pleasant.

The night eventually came to an end, the two new acquaintances unwillingly going their own way, returning back to their daily lives and being left with the gifts they had left each other through their company and words shared. Jongin slept soundly, dreamland welcoming him in its soft embrace as soon as his body flopped down on the mattress, his mind filled with a certain man’s voice and smile, stars and constellations illuminating the usual darkness that plunged him to sleep, unable to contain the cozy feeling emerging within him and flooding his senses as he drifted off to the most comfortable sleep he had since a couple of months.

The next day, Jongin was in charge of driving back to Henderson, Jongdae having a splitting headache and a massive hangover. He had left a plastic bag next to them in case the pills wouldn’t have the desired effect. Jongdae insisted on the roof being closed, sunglasses keeping him away from the bright sun that was as strong as the previous days. Jongin turned the radio on at a rather low volume, not wanting to disturb his friend too much since he was drifting off to sleep. A familiar song came on the radio as soon as he settled on a station.

_ “--irt, no blouse _

_ Just us, you find out _

_ Nothing that I wouldn’t wanna tell you about, no no _

_ ‘Cause it’s too cold _

_ For you here and now _

_ So let me hold _

_ Both your hands in the holes of my sweater--” _

Jongin chuckled when he recognised the song, the one he had tuned down when they arrived in Santa Barbara. This time, he didn’t bother to change radio station again, focusing on silently listening to the song, eyes locked on the road as they were now on the highway. As the song was reaching its end, Jongin found himself thinking about the man he had met the previous night and the new contact added to his phone. He wouldn’t mind going to California again if it would be a trip filled with contagious laughter, a mellow voice and an attractive personality that would paint Jongin’s grey world with different shades of colours. If the weather’s heat would be replaced by a man with expressive eyes, a great love for the universe and an aura like the sun, Jongin wouldn’t mind to be enveloped into Baekhyun’s kind of warmth.


End file.
